Republican file photo by John Suchocki | Memorial Town Hall in Monson.MONSON - The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee met Tuesday night to hash out the fiscal 2011 budget, and officials agreed it’s not pretty.
“Nobody likes to be in this kind of budget situation . . . We are in a tough spot as a community,” Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said.
Neggers provided the 20 town officials in attendance with information that showed a pattern of declining funding starting in 2009 – the year the town “began to feel the pain.”
For example, state revenue from 2009 to 2011 declined 8 percent, from $12.2 million to $11.3 million, she said. State revenue in fiscal 2010 was $11.5 million.
The proposed Finance Committee budget for fiscal 2011 is $23,052,616, down from $23,112,857 in fiscal 2010. Selectmen did not vote on the proposal because board member John F. Goodrich II was absent.
Selectmen Chairman Edward S. Harrison said he expects the board will vote on the budget at its April 27 meeting. However, voters at the May 10 Town Meeting will have the ultimate say on the budget.
The School Department is feeling the brunt of the cuts. With a recommended budget of $10.1 million from the Finance Committee, Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said that is basically a $400,000 reduction from his budget proposal.
“It’s egregious,” Dardenne said. “The impact is significant.”
Dardenne later said that if this budget is approved, it is likely that five or six teachers will be laid off, along with three or four other school personnel. Programs will be reorganized, and some eliminated, he said.
Dardenne said additional cuts could influence whether or not parents send their children to Monson schools, which already have seen a decline of 192 students from 2005 to 2010.
Neggers said if the schools received level-funding, town departments would receive across the board cuts of 7 percent.
She said that would mean the police could no longer offer 24-hour coverage. Some departments, such as the library, Senior Center and Parks and Recreation, would be all but eliminated, or completely reliant on fees, she said. Already budget cuts have taken a toll on departments and services, she said.
But she said state aid still could change, which could improve the town’s budget situation.
School Committee Chairman Edward A. Maia said he thinks that the town needs to decide whether it wants a quality school system or not.
“What’s your suggestion to help the problem?” asked Finance Committee member William A. Dominguez.
Dardenne interjected that it basically means a Proposition 2½ override, something officials said has traditionally not gone over well in Monson.
Dominguez said he is for a tax override, and said residents need to know the town is in dire straits and needs revenue.
Finance Committee member Robert F. Finnegan said some people simply cannot afford an override.